Vertical mixer



Dec. 28, 1948. w F. DEHUFF I VERTICAL MIXER Filed Sept. 5, 1945 INVENTOR. WALTER F. DEHUFF BY Wmaza 550 DRIVE ATTORNEY.

Patented Dec. 28, 1948 VERTICAL MIXER Walter F. Dehufl, Glen Rock, Pa., auignor to American Machine & Foundry Company, a corporation of New Jersey Application September s, 1945, Serial No. 014,535

4 Claims. (01. 74-300) This invention relates to vertical dough mixers wherein a vertical beater spindle is moved in an orbital path while revolving on its own axis, more particularly to vertical mixers of the type having a variable precession ratio, that is a construction which may be adjusted to vary therotation of the beater spindle upon its own axis relative to the movement of the spindle in its orbital path. It

has been discovered for example that in mixing foam" batches it is desirable to employ a lower precession ratio than when mixingbatches of a heavier material such as bread dough.

It is therefore one of the main objects of the invention to provide a variable precession ratio mixer having 'a rugged, simpler and less expensive construction.

To this end I have provided a mixer construction having a vertical spindle on which the mixing beater is supported and a rotary beater head in which the spindle is revolubly mounted. The

- rotation of the beater head. moves the spindle in an orbital path, and the spindle is driven by suitable mechanism to revolve it on its own axis while it is carried in an orbital path by the heater 7 head. To vary the precession ratio of the rotation of the beater spindle and the rotation of the beater head, the mechanism driving the beater head may be regulated to vary the speed at which the head is driven while the rotational speed of the spindle remains approximately constant. In this manner, the precession ratio of the rotation of the beater spindle and the beater head may be varied.

In the accompanying drawing, which forms a part of this specification, there is shown a vertical section of a mixer exemplifying my invention. I

Referring to the drawing, it will be seen that the base I supports aa ear box 2 on top of which is mounted an electric motor 3. On the shaft 4 i of the motor is secured a pinion 5 which drives a gear 5. This gear is mounted in a housing 1 secured to the gear box 2 in any suitable manner. Gear Bmay be provided with a friction band 8, and within the band is located the expanding drum 8 which is keyed to the driving shaft III. A sliding sleeve .H is actuated by the lever 12 to expand the drum 9 into engagement with the band 0 whereby the shaft ill will be driven. Since this construction is similar to that shown in the Rataiczak et al. Patent, 1,264,128, April 23, 1918, further description is deemed unnecessary.

shaft [0 extends into and is supported in the gear box 2. On shaft l0 are secured the large gear l4, intermediate gear [5, and the small gear It. A shaft i8, which is mounted in suitable hearings in gear box 2, has mounted thereon a large loose gear [9, an intermediate gear 20, and a small gear 2|. The gears and 2| are mounted on a sliding sleeve 22 which is keyed to shaft I8,

and suitable gear shifting means (not shown) may be located between'gears 20 and 2!. The.

large gear I! is loosely mounted on shaft 13 and is always inmesh with the small gear l6 and provided with clutch pins 24. provided with clutch pins 25 which will mesh with clutch. pins 24 when sleeve 22 is moved to the right and thereby couple gear ft with the shaft l8 for slow speed. Upon sliding sleeve 22 to the left to displace the gear 20 to a position intermediate the pins 24 and the gear 15; as illus- 'trated in the drawing, the shaft is will not be driven. This is the neutral position in the gear transmission. When the sleeve 22 is slid further to the left, gear 20 will mesh with gear l5 to provide an intermediate. speed of shaft l8. Upon sliding sleeve 22 still further to the left, the gear 2| will mesh with gear l4 to rotate shafts]! at high speed. Any suitable gear shifting means such as described in the above mentioned Rataiczak, et al. patent may be employed to shift thesleeve 22 along shaft [8.

A housing .26 for the mechanism for driving the beater head and beater spindle, is supported on the base I. A sleeve 23, which is iournaled in housing 25, is provided with squared apertures to receive the squared end 29 of shaft l8 and the squared end 30 of shaft 3| which drives the beater spindle. A bevel gear 34 is loosely mounted on shaft 3| and in front of gear 34 is mounted a bevel gear 35 which is fastened on the shaft 3|. The bevel gear 34 meshes with a bevel gear 36 which rests on a shoulder 31 of the housing 26. In a revolving casing 38, which forms a part of the beater head and is fastened to gear 36, is revolubly mounted a vertical shaft 40. At the upper end of shaft 40 is secured a bevel gear 4! which meshes with the gear 35. A plate 42, which is fastened to the bottom of casing 38 and forms the remainder of the beater head, is provided with a tubular extension 43 adjacent its periphery. In the chamber formed between plate 42 and casing 38 is located a spur gear 44 which is secured on shaft 40. The heater spindle 46 is revolubly mounted in the extension 43 and provided at its upper end with a gear 41 meshing with and driven from gear 44. In a housing 50 supported on the housing 28 is mounted a variable speed drive which may be a sliding gear transmission of the type shown within gear box 2, a Reeves drive of the type shown in Patents 1,890,500, 2,181,079, and 2,404,380, or other suitable type of construction.

A shaft 56 is journaled in housing 50 and driven through the variable speed drive (not shown) from shaft l8. I

Shaft 58 extends into a gear housing 58 supported on the housing 28. A' gear fastened on the portion of shaft 55 in housing it drives an intermediate gear 32 mounted on a shaft The gear 20 is jtion of the spindle enemas 64 supported in housing 58. Gear 62 drives a gear 65 which is fastened to the hub of gear 36.

It will be evident that when the shaft I8 is driven that the spindle as will revolve on its own axis at a speed determined by the position of sleeve 22 and the meshing of gear 20 with gear l or gear 2| with gear It. The beater head will revolve more slowly and its speed will be determined by regulating the speed at which shaft 55 is driven through the variable speed'drive,

to drive the bevel gear 36 on the casing 38 at a faster or slower speed. Thus by regulating the speed at which the gear 35 is driven, while the speed of the spindle 56 remains approximately constant, the precession ratio of the rotation of the speed of the spindle 66 and the beater head may-be varied. A suitableprecession ratio for "foam batches is 2:1, while a ratio of 4:1 has. been found suitable for cake dough and other heavier type doughs. Accordingly, the variable speed drive in housing 50 should be designed to supply these two precession ratios.

A socket member 10 is secured on the lower -volve it on its own'axis while it is moved in an orbital path by said head, a gear rigidly secured to said head, a horizontal shaft, a pinion mounted on said horizontal shaft and meshing with and I driving said gear, and a variable speed drive which is driven from said spindle driving means and connected to andadapted to drive said pinion revoluble about a stationary axis, of a spindlerevolubly mounted in said support with its axis of rotation eccentric to the axis of rotation of said support whereby said spindle will be moved .in an orbital path'upon rotation of said support,

end of the beater spindle 66. Since the c'onstruction of the socket member ,is similar to that; 1 shown in the above mentioned Rataiczak, et 'al.' patent, further description thereofsis deemed unnecessary exc'ept'to state that the upper end of the beater 12 is'secured in the socket member ill in the manner described in said patent.

The mixing bowl "is supported by suitable structure shown in said patent in position to perznit the batch of material therein to be mixed by rotation of the beater upon its own axis while itis moved-in an orbital path within'the "bowl,

What is claimed is: I Ya 1. In a mixer, the combination witha vertical shaft, of a head revolubly mounted forrotation aboutthe axis of rotation of said shaft, a vertical spindle revolubly mounted in said head with its axis eccentric to the axis of rotation of said head, whereby the rotation of said head will move said spindle in an orbital path, abevel gear fastened toand coaxial withsaid head, a bevel gear fastened to said verticalshaft; a horizontal 1 shaft, a bevel gearlooselymounted on said horizontal shaft and meshing with and driving the i bevel gear secured to the head, a bevel gear fas- 'tened on said horizontalshaft and meshingwith and driving the bevel gear fastened on said vera gear securedzon said spindleand meshing with saidpinion, driving mechanism fordrivlngfsaiid horizontal shaft whereby said spindle will. be. re-

volved on itsjown axis, and a variable, speed a bevel gear fastened to and coaxial with said I support, a pinion meshing with and driving said bevel gear, means for driving said spindle to revolve it on its'own axis while it is moved in an orbital path by said support, and mechanism driven from said spindle driving means for driving said pinion and thereby revolving said support to move said spindle in an orbital path with a'predetermined precession ratio relative to the rotation of said spindle, said mechanism includinga variable speed drive driven from said spindle driving means and connected to and driving 1 said pinion and adapted to vary the speed at which said pinion is driven and thereby'vary the speed at which said support is revolved to thereby vary the precession ratio-of the rotationof the spindle relative to the rotation of the support.

4; In a mixer, the combination witha vertical,

shaft, ofa gear secured to the upper end of said vertical shaft, a headrev'olubly mounted for rotation upon said shaft, a gear secured to said 1 head, a vertical spindle mounted in said head Withits axis eccentric to the axis of rotation of said head, a primarygear mounted on said fvertical shaft, a gear mounted on said spindle shaft'and meshing with the gear secured to the variable speed v.device driven from said driving" mechanism'and connected to and driving thebevel gear loosely head will be revolved to move said spindle in an orbital path, said device being operable to vary the speed at whichsaid headis revolvedqand thereby to vary the precession ratio of the rota relative to the rotation of the" head.

' mounted on said horizontal shaft whereby said j g of the rotation of the spindle of rotationof said head wherebysaid spindle will '1 be moved in anforbital path uponrotation of said head mean's' for drivingsaidspindle toreand meshing with said primary gear, a driving" shaft, a primary pinion fastened on said driving upper end of said vertical shaft, a secondary pinion loosely mounted on said driving shaft and I tical shaft, a pinion secured on said vertical shaft,

meshing withlthe gear secured to said head, means for driving said primary pinion'to cause said spindle to revolve on-its own axis, and a drive device driven from said spindle drivingmeans and drivfiig said secondary pinion-to revolve said head and thereby move I said spindle in an orbital path; said device being operable to vary the speed at which said head is revolved andthereby vary the precession ratio relative to the rotation of the head. WALTER. F. DEHUFF.

REFERENCES CITED I The following references are of record I in the y 'nl'e-of th'ispatent: g I

.nm'rnn s'm'rns rA'ram's "Number Name 'Date 1,264,128 fRataiczak Apr. 23, 1918 1 1,859,690 Aeschbach May 24, 1932 Johnston et a1. Nov. 5, 1 935 

